WOBURN, Mass., Feb. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Gridco Systems,
a leader in agile grid infrastructure solutions, announced today
that Hawaiian Electric Company has deployed the Gridco Systems
In-Line Power Regulator™ (IPR) to enable integration of increasing
levels of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems. The Gridco IPRs help
maintain reliable power delivery within required voltage limits,
supporting Hawaiian Electric's goal to triple distributed
generation on its system by 2030.
Rooftop PV is an important part of the utility's clean energy
portfolio and Hawaiian Electric leads the nation in installed PV
per customer. However, this can present challenges.
For example, since rooftop PV systems provide little or no
information to system operators, maintaining the steady 60 Hz
frequency needed for reliable power delivery is increasingly
difficult. A circuit that is saturated with PV also strains the
grid as it adds electricity when demand isn't there. This causes
voltage on the affected circuits to be higher than intended,
sometimes sending power flowing back through transformers to
substations not designed to support it.
"We work in concert with our planning groups within Hawaiian
Electric to investigate new technologies and products, such as the
Gridco Systems In-line Power Regulator, to better see and manage
what's happening on the grid," said Dr. Dora Nakafuji, director of renewable energy
planning for Hawaiian Electric.
In February 2015 crews installed
pole-mounted IPRs on an overhead line identified by Gridco's
modeling team, in collaboration with Hawaiian Electric engineers,
as having voltage issues due to high rooftop PV penetration.
"With high-penetration PV on our lines, we see high voltage or
back-feed conditions on some circuits," Nakafuji said. "The Gridco
IPR allows us to see what is actually happening right at the pole
that serves a cluster of customers. At the same time, it allows us
to regulate voltage at that location as needed, based on how much
power the PV systems are producing and power consumption by
customers at the time of day.
"Gridco's IPR gives us real-time visibility to the edge of our
grid," Nakafuji added. "We can actually get measurements down to
the pole closest to the customer load where voltage issues might be
occurring. This tells us very specifically what we need to do to
manage for those conditions, without affecting everybody on the
circuit.
"Distributed PV can impact a specific section of an electrical
circuit without affecting the entire circuit. Traditional controls
don't allow for that fine level of control, so raising or lowering
the voltage on a line may help some customers but cause problems
for others," she said.
"Maximizing the distribution system's PV hosting capacity at the
lowest cost is a core function of an economically sustainable clean
energy ecosystem," said Naimish
Patel, CEO of Gridco Systems. "We are delighted to be
working with Hawaiian Electric Company to help them meet their RPS
targets while maintaining system reliability in a cost-effective
way."
To learn more about the Hawaiian Electric installation, see the
video on YouTube: Testing new technologies to integrate more
renewables - Gridco Systems IPR.
To learn more about Gridco Systems full suite of utility
solutions, including the IPR, visit DistribuTECH 2016, booth #2125,
and online at http://gridcosystems.com/. Additionally, the company
will be presenting on a panel entitled: "Rethinking the Grid Edge -
New Approaches and Strategies to Secondary Management for Improved
Grid Efficiency and DER Hosting Capacity," on Thursday, February 11th.
About Gridco Systems
Gridco Systems is a leader in
agile grid infrastructure solutions, enabling utilities to more
effectively integrate renewable and distributed generation,
increase energy efficiency, manage peak capacity, and improve
system reliability. The Gridco Systems emPower™ Solution combines
modular power electronics, advanced controls, distributed
networking, and power system analytics to deliver the industry's
only end-to-end hardware and software platform purpose built to
solve utilities' current and emerging distribution challenges in a
distributed, dynamic, and decoupled fashion. To learn more, please
visit http://gridcosystems.com/.
Gridco Systems® is a registered trademark of Gridco
Systems.
Gridco Systems In-Line Power Regulator™ and the Gridco Systems
emPower™ Solution are trademarks of Gridco Systems.
About Hawaiian Electric
Hawaiian Electric and its
subsidiaries, Maui Electric and Hawaii Electric Light, serve the
islands of Oahu, Maui, Lanai,
Molokai and Hawaii, home to 95 percent of the population
of the State of Hawaii.
Hawaiian Electric's parent company is Hawaiian Electric Industries
(NYSE: HE).
In a changing world, the Hawaiian Electric Companies are
taking the lead in adding renewable energy and developing energy
solutions for its customers to achieve a clean energy future for
Hawai'i. For more information, visit
www.hawaiianelectric.com
Media and Analyst inquiries:
Joanna Hamblin
Marketing Manager
Gridco Systems
339-298-3055
jhamblin@gridcosystems.com
Peter Rosegg
Corporate Communications
Hawaiian Electric Company
808-543-7780
peter.rosegg@hawaiianelectric.com
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visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hawaiian-electric-company-deploys-gridco-systems-technology-to-help-increase-pv-hosting-capacity-of-distribution-grid-and-leverage-installed-asset-base-300212856.html
SOURCE Gridco Systems